Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-04-23
oRAToRY.

the envy OF our slower and more hesi-
tat.ny cousins on the other side OF the
Atlantic. While John Bull would DO
humm ng aud ha-ha- NJ in the opening
sentences OF what he had to say. Jon;t-
than would set forth the outl ne oil MS
subject with persp Guilty aud fel'c ~
which left moth ng to desire. Nor was
the gift confined to the educated class
cs. All sorts of meetings and in all
sorts Of compan les, gathered for all
sorts Of purposes, all sorts Of men
would rise ard give their views plainly
or fJrilly, Us the case might be, but
always readily aud clearly. Naturally
in IA country where the g It of speech
was SO great. public speak ng was a
poxerful element in all matters of pub
JIG concern. In polit cal contests the
eloquence of the champ ons on either
side was one ofthe ch IF arms Of victory
anu thousands of votes were cast. not SO
much because of the arguments sub
mIted by the partS orators us because
of the strong personal attraction OF tho
orators themselves. thousands who
could not comprehend the argument
were charmed and went by the n;tguet-
ic influence of the speaker. In other
departments of life the love of oratOry
WAS equally great. La those days
churches were not half filed, as they
are now; twice every week aud some
times oftener they were crowded with
attent We listeners. The platform OF
the lecturer attl acted thousands where
II now attracts tens, and the courts
were always filed when counsel were
expected to display the powers and
cruces OF the forum. Now. with rare
exceptions. that is all change. and
even in politics we can not but observe
that public speaking has become An ln-
significant factor N the STRIFE OF
parties. When occasion calls We
talk rs easily rs ever and talk
well too. But the occasions come more
rarely and. when they do come. peo-
pie care immunsel. less than formerly
to take advantage of the privilege al
forded them. Meanwhile. precisely
the contrary Of this decay OF orator. Is
observed in England. Among the mass
es of work .ngmen public speakers OF
the highest natural gifts are spring NJ
up and ming influence by their fac IL
IL. as public speakers. The house OF
commons not so remarkable as for
merly for the ha-ha style OF Stammering
through speech. And, what is even
more remarkable, the statesmen Of
England no longer issue their pronun-
ciam;enlos n the form Of pamphlets.
but, arrange occasions for delivering
addresses to the public on the pol cy
they wish either to advocate or Oppose.
At the same time the English pull pit
have improved ~ ours seems to have
decl ned. That tn re is still larg. room
for Improvement ma be trae. Uut + l.
a'so true that the improvement has
been great.
II would be difficult to assign any one
cause for this decay among ourselves.
contrasted as it IS, with such advance
across the water 1t may b, that onr
English cousins are now only becoming
alive 10 the valu, OF Il power which
They bad not suiac o ,tly appreciate |,
viii lie We have wearied Of a thing WI
found to lie so easy. Or it may be that tn
growing democratic life OF Englani /:
rousing the p:ople to an interest II
public q rs. VIII L. our people art
fallen into rca t oHary earles'ne's. Oi
Il NAV he, and d III ,tle>s it il, in part
that the exubr ant abun lance OF on
periodical pull cations furnishes OF
people W tn SO much material for ind5
pendent thought rs to make the per
sonal insiruc IONS Of our public speak
crs less important than they once W ere
ANY of th Sc reasons may be true. A
are more Or less true; but there is an
other reason which is probably NOR
valid than all of them omb ned. 1t i
simply tn S: that in England publ I
SD .aking is better worth hearing no,
than formerly, while in this country j
has grown less worthy than it used l.
be. We have taught the English whs
to do AMI how to do 1t; but We Oui
selves seemed to have lost the excellenc
we once possessed. The English hav
been conquering their natural dfficu
ties. while W. have not been improvin
our natural advantages. That is all.
What is required 10 make An oraio OF
Just three tn ngs are essential. The
nre conviction. earnestness, and con
mani of good. plain Saxon Engl 81
Other things are helpful in L thoasan
WAS; but these alone are ndispens;
BILE. Now, one of these We have abul
dainty. The re;ul ness with which "
speak on all occasions shows that "
possess it. But where are our convi
lions? Where has earnestness retire.
In politics, in relig on, in PHILOSOPHY
in everything heavenly and earthly. "
have learned to qualify and distingui,
nnd modify until The capacity of stron
belief and earnest enthus asm seems
have been frittcred allaway. Diettal
teism, rs Carlisle would have called
has taken bodily possession of US. m
has par;l, Zed the heart of US, so TIL
we are half dead while we liv
In the pulpit our dvines are excusin
their beliefs, and explain ;ng them ava
IN ndlt spirit of Cancellation whi(
disarms attack, but wins no convert
On tho platform dilettante lecture
9awdle esthetically or otherwise Ia
coed in persuading their few heare
that really there is not much OF cons
hnence in anything particular. In pc
tlcs men rather strive 10 gain their ov
election by avoiding difficult es al
host ties than TO make il of impol
ance to the people that they should
chosen to the places they aspire to Fl
At the bar the mere case LAWYER De
dies out his string of petty preceder
when he might bring the PRINCIPLES